Snowfall in Antarctica: A Polar Desert's Quiet Accumulation

Antarctica is the coldest, driest, windiest, and highest continent on Earth—and a polar desert. Despite being surrounded by ocean, it receives minimal precipitation; most falls as snow, and little melts. Some interior areas go years without new snowfall. At the South Pole, annual accumulation averages just 2 inches (5 cm). Coastal McMurdo Station sees about 17 inches (43 cm) per year. Across the entire continent, total snowfall is estimated at 2,000 cubic kilometers (500,000 trillion cubic meters)—a vast volume spread over an immense, frozen expanse.